A POPULAR garden centre in Andover which was put up for sale has been sold to new owners.

Last year, Wyevale decided to put all 145 of its garden centres up for sale, including its Salisbury Road outlet.

The firm has now announced that it has sold 31 of those sites – one of those being the Andover centre – to rival operator Dobbies for an undisclosed sum.

The centres will continue to trade under the Wyevale name over the coming weeks, with the completion of the sale phased from late May through to the end of June.

Graeme Jenkins, Dobbies chief executive, said: “We are very pleased to have agreed this acquisition from Wyevale and we look forward to welcoming our new customers, as well as 1,400 new team members to Dobbies as we drive the growth of the business and deliver against our strategic plan.”

Anthony Jones, chief operating officer of Wyevale Garden Centres added: “We are pleased to have agreed the sale of these centres to Dobbies and look forward to working closely with the Dobbies team as part of the transition.

"I’d like to thank all of our colleagues at these great centres and wish them well for what I’m confident will be a bright future with Dobbies.”

It is understood that no job losses will take place as part of the buy-out.